Hello! I’m Folashade Anozie.
Late last year, I promised myself I’d give my podcast listeners a better glimpse of what really goes on behind the scenes. So, here goes.
So, here goes.
My first guest of 2020 was Chief Oladele Fajemirokun, a Nigerian venture capitalist, businessman, and angel investor. His investments span companies like AIICO Plc, Food Concepts Ltd, Kings Guards, and more.
In July 2019, he launched his book “The Making of Me: My Odyssey in Business.” I couldn’t attend the launch because I was living in the U.S. at the time. When I moved back to Nigeria, I went straight to a bookstore, bought the book, and after reading, I had the chance to visit Chief. I told him I’d love to interview him because there are lessons in his story, business principles and life philosophies, that I believe can apply to the Nigerian music industry and life in general. He agreed.
When I subsequently moved back to Nigeria, I went to a bookstore and purchased a copy of the book. I read a couple of pages and a couple of days later had the chance to visit Chief. I informed him that I would love to interview him because, in my opinion, there are lessons from his business principles, philosophies, and life experience that can be applied to the Nigerian music industry and life in general. However, I needed to finish reading the book. He agreed that when I was done reading the book, I should get in touch with him.
Between job interviews, podcast edits, and life, weeks flew by. By the week before Christmas, I was ready to record, but life happened and we rescheduled for early January. The stars finally aligned and Chief made out time for me in the middle of his busy January.
On Friday, January 17, my team and I got to Chief’s home an hour early. A friend Niyi Faleyimu helped find the best spot to record and we settled on Chief’s office. We set up the mics and did our sound checks.
Normally, I use the Rode pod mic for myself and my guests, but because Chief is older and I wanted him comfortable, I switched to the Sony ECM-55B for him. During the sound test, the mic kept cutting out when Niyi spoke. I adjusted it, tested it again, and thought we were good.
At 1 pm, Chief walked into his office. I tested the levels, thanked him, and hit record. A minute in, the mic started cutting out again. I stopped him, asked him to speak up. Two minutes in, I repositioned the mic higher on his scarf but same issue. My mind was racing: Should I set up my spare Rode mic? But that would eat into his time and possibly make him uncomfortable. I decided to keep going and pray I could fix it later and do my best not to get stressed. As a podcast listener, I am keenly aware that bad audio makes the listener experience truly dissatisfying.
Thirty minutes later, we wrapped. I thanked Chief for his time. On the drive home, I was annoyed with myself for having another audio issue. Working as the host, producer, editor, and audio engineer requires that I juggle numerous balls. And sometimes it can be challenging to balance all well. So, if you’re reading this and you are, or you know any great person who might be interested in interning with me, do let know.
Despite the challenges, I’m glad I made this interview happen. Chief was generous with his insights and time. My team was rock solid. And I learned, again, that sometimes you just truly have to roll with the punches, especially for a Type A like me.
If you listened, audio hiccups and all, thank you. I hope you took away something about persistence, business, and life. If you haven’t listened yet, you can do so on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Audiomack. Simply search for ‘thesncpodcast‘ [which is all 1 word]. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at the same name -> @thesncpodcast.
I appreciate every single person who continues to support me and the podcast. I am eternally grateful. 2020 is definitely the year that I make things right!
